My Grandmother’s Paya Soup

Bone broth is medicinal in ways you can’t imagine. I battle a common cold every few days and if I were to consume something this rich in nutrients, my immunity would be on an all-time high. This delicious recipe for paya broth comes from my grandmother, who has been cooking with trotters and other parts of the goat all her life. These parts include the kidneys, liver, testicles and brains, which many people would usually not cook with. It is this nose-to-tail style of cooking that we must return to, for a more sustainable food future.

Ingredients:

Trotters 8

Green Cardamom 2

Peppercorns 3-4

Cloves 3

Bay leaves 3

Cinnamon 1-inch stick

Onions 3, medium-sized, chopped

Tomatoes 7-9, chopped

Green Chillies 3

Ginger 1-inch piece, make a paste

Garlic 20 cloves, make a paste

Coriander 2 tbsp, finely chopped

Red chilli powder 1 1/2 tsp

Ground Coriander 1 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala 1 1/2 tsp

Ground Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Method:

Ask your butcher to take the skin off the trotters and leave some meat on the bone. If you’re cooking with the skin, make sure to roast it a little bit first before you start cooking it.

Wash the trotters well in hot water and clean thoroughly. In a pressure cooker, add the trotters, cardamom, peppercorns, cloves and bay leaves together with water and pressure cook this for about 10 whistles. Open and strain the stock and separate the paya pieces.

In 1/2 cup oil, fry the onions till golden brown. Add in the ginger and garlic pastes and and add the tomatoes. Now add the dry masalas and fry these together till well blended and keep on low flame for a good 7-10 minutes. Add the paya pieces and stir for 5-7 minutes in this mixture. Now add the strained stock and another glass of water and continue to pressure cook for another 3-4 whistles. Open the cooker and finish on a low fire for 5-10 minutes. Squeeze the juice of a lime before serving. Serve with pav and chopped onions.